Sony Xperia XZ2 Fought For Attention On All Fronts

Sony didn’t take any chances at Mobile World Congress (MWC) with their newest smartphone, the Sony Xperia XZ2. Besides showing off the power of the smartphone’s mobile cameras, the company also demonstrated its unique audio and 3D scanning features. Their booth attracted dozens, including us, with three demos, competing with the likes of Samsung that had an entire experience corner. #mobilemagic

First stop: the audio demo stand. The Dynamic Vibration System is a feature that harkens to Sony controllers’ physical feedback. We were told Sony used the same technology here, but in a more subdued manner. The idea is to have a complete immersive experience when you see a movie on Xperia XZ2 or play a game. Indeed, the vibrations make every cinematic action scene more real but caution – it’s definitely not discreet, especially when the phone is placed on certain surfaces.

Next stop: the 3D selfie capture stand. By enabling this tech for the front camera and integrating it with Facebook, the Xperia XZ2 allowed users to create and upload 3D selfies. Our tech correspondent, Yue Xu, was brave enough to try it. And although the demo had a couple hiccups and the 3D selfie was not the most flattering for Yue, it did work well for other visitors. Selfies and social media don’t look like they’ll disappear anytime soon, so this might become a popular feature in the long run. People will definitely have to get used to 3D selfies though, as they reveal more than a 2D one does.

Final stop: the 4K HDR video recording demo. It’s no secret that Sony focuses heavily on the camera so this demo didn’t disappoint. Not only does the XZ2 offer 960 fps slow motion recording at 1080p (more than the Samsung Galaxy S9) but it also has 4K HDR recording. The files do take up more space, but the phone has an SD card slot for extra memory. In fact, the camera features are so powerful we couldn’t help but compare it to the level of quality behind the iPhone X.

The verdict? To come soon, in a comparison video!

Bottom line: Sony had something for everyone. Do you like to watch movies on your phone? There’s haptic feedback to make the audio experience better! Do you love taking selfies and care about most about the power of the front camera? This phone will satisfy that need AND offer something extra! Video recording quality is essential for you? Then, you absolutely have to check out the HDR capabilities in 4K! Did the Sony demos at MWC have their hiccups? For us they did, but others had smooth demos. We were slightly disappointed, but customers probably won’t be as Sony will fix any remaining issues through software updates.